Spring 2016 - beautifying the willow

Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted but it's done little but rain...

Trees are just starting to come into leaf and we harvested the osier growth to build a twigloo:

Twigloo!

The osier was used to make the main structure and the yellow willow (which wasn't as tall) was planted around the bottom - it really glows in the sunshine and once it starts growing properly, we'll weave it into the twigloo which should eventually form a complete screen. There's also some violet willow planted on the entrance although the ground is so waterlogged, I'm not convinced it will survive... After some strong winds, I ventured out to find that most of the knots had failed and the whips were not joined at the top again. They're now tied with multiple whippings (using sisal) as well as being twisted around each other - shouldn't come apart again, especially one it begins to grow together.

This is one year's growth!

The osier is already sprouting and as you can see from the picture above, it's putting out multiple shoots and should continue to do so. The mulching at the bottom of the willow isn't really doing a great job any more, although now that the willow is established, I'm not sure it matters. 

The grey willow along the side of the barn needed sorting out as it was putting out shoots everywhere. The plan is to create a row of pollards so after a good deal of cutting, the larger trees looked like this:

Willow pollard

Some of the other trees had been cut a lot lower in the past and were resembling untidy shrubs, which made it very difficult to mow underneath. All the shoots except one were trimmed and regular bud pinching is carried out to prevent side growth. With any luck, these stems will thicken and next winter, they'll be trimmed higher up to stimulate growth from the top.

Single stem remaining

 Also bought a new billhook - this is an ex-military one and required a lot of filing/sharpening to make it fit for purpose. It's a bit heavy for the wife, though, so there's another one on the way! The handle on this one is cracked but currently solid. I've cut some holly down and there should be enough to make a handle for the new one as well as a replacement for this one too.

Cornelius Whitehouse 1940 billhook